Friday, October 7, 2011

Homeschool Update 10/7/11

SCIENCE:

Shepherd's Life Science apparently doesn't have specified experiments, although they have suggestions. The co-op teacher decided to use The Egg experiment from Apologia Biology. You know the one, where you take The Egg

and soak it in vinegar until the shell is off.

Then soak it in various other things like corn syrup and water, measuring after each soak.

In the meantime, Thalia is studying for her first test in Kinetic Physics. I have the impression the teacher is a wee bit disappointed with the support available for writing her own tests -- I think she was under the impression they would have more test questions available. They're doing the Principle of Physics, which prepares the class for the Physics AP/B exam, by the way. Anyway, the teacher has re-opened all of the homework questions, as well as the quiz boards (Kinetic is done online, and the teacher sets the "due date" on the homework by setting the program to close all attempts to enter answers to problems as of the deadline) for the kids to use to study for the test. She's sent a pdf of the test, and will send the parents a pdf of the answers.

MATH:

Annabeth finished up the first book of Key to Decimals, and then switched back to RightStart Geometry, wherein she's in the throes of Pythagorean Theorem. Of course, this brings to mind adventures in The Wizard of Oz last summer, when the Scarecrow could NOT remember his line about the Pythagorean Theorem after the Wizard gave him a brain (and Thalia kept saying, "get a refund on that brain!"), distracting everyone from the point of the RightStart lesson.

Thalia is moving ahead in Lial's Intermediate Algebra, which still seems straightforward to use and grade.

ENGLISH:

Junior Analytical Grammar is DONE. Whoot. Honestly, it wasn't the warm, fuzzy experience that Analytical Grammar was. I found myself disagreeing with the answer book at times (given that grammar isn't my thing, this is Big News). But, hey, it's over now, and we're moving on to ... well, we're not moving on to anything in particular at the moment.

Thalia continues to write paragraphs for Jensen's Format Writing. And occasionally plunges into Analytical Grammar High School Reinforcement -- she's using the Great World Authors book this year. As I've mentioned before, she does this for fun, sort of like others work sudoku.

HISTORY

Annabeth hasn't done a whole heck of a lot with the Middle Ages, after blazing through the first week or so. We tend to be rather stop-and-go with history around here.

In the meantime, Thalia is finding Notgrass World History incredibly easy, answering questions about Daniel that she learned in about 3rd grade Sunday School. The biggest challenge is the Country Study -- she writes an essay every week about India. Some of the subjects bore her -- for example, writing about the economy of India was apparently less than scintillating.

OTHER STUFF

Chapters 7 and 8 of Dave Ramsey are done. Thalia knows how to balance a checkbook, and how Dave advises making a budget (I think that's all part of a Girl Scout badge ... oh wait, those practical badges like that are now defunct, and we still haven't received the new badge books ... how does an organization that has failed so miserably at rolling out their new product presume to teach girls about leadership -- gaaaaahhhhhh! ). Also, how to bargain/negotiate. Most of which she'd already heard plenty about just in conversations around the house. But Dave had some amusing anecdotes to illustrate his points.

About Me

We are a homeschooling family that includes a 15 year old and a 11 year old. We use our blog to keep in touch with family and friends, letting them know what projects we're working on.
For the sake of privacy, the kids have chosen pseudonyms from Percy Jackson books.